Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Go Retro: Universal Studios

Today's "Go Retro" is Universal Studios. No, not today's Universal Studios Hollywood, but just plain Universal Studios (complete with groovy-looking purple sign in fancy script, pictured right), back when it was a one-of-a-kind theme park and studio. Designed to wow overseas as well as backwater American tourists who have never seen this "movie magic" thing before, the Militant found enjoyment in the park not at the tour, but at the tourist's reactions to the tour (i.e. people screaming at the latex Jaws head mounted on a track under the man-made lake).

But back in the 70s, long before there was a CityWalk or an Amphitheater or even a Cineplex, it was just a studio and a theme park, damnit. Back then, during the midway point in your tour, the buses would make a pitstop and visitors could order overpriced food at a concession stand and pose for pictures by some oversized props to pay homage to the Studios' '50s-era film The Incredible Shrinking Man. Tourgoers once posed by a much-larger-than-life-sized telephone, camera, park bench, human hand holding lipstick (or was it a bullet ?) and a shelf of books, just like a where a young Militant (pictured left) once did.

Which brings to mind a closing thought -- are the attractions in Universal Studios (Hollywood, Florida, Japan, Uzbekistan, Antarctica or elsewhere) meant to celebrate and honor the Studios' work and legacy, or reflect (aside from a token Frankenstein or Feivel The Mouse walking around) the current pop culture?

Manifesto

A 100% Los Angeles native, the Militant Angeleno lives in a compound in an unspecified neighborhood of central Los Angeles. His life consists largely of his various adventures around the city, which are documented in this blog. The Militant is also multi-modal and is not dependent on any one mode of transportation, although he is most known for traversing the City's streets via bicycle. The Militant can be described as part-activist, part-superhero, giving the voice to the voiceless and silencing those who just plain whine too much. Partly because of his selfless motives, he prefers to refer to himself in the third person, as the first-person is too self-centered. The Militant is anonymous and goes to great lengths to protect his identity and is aided and protected by an unspecified number of operatives, who are sworn to secrecy as to his identity. Most important, the Militant's ultimate objective is not to be the Militant Angeleno, but to empower and enlighten other Angelenos, so that they may be militants in their own right. Oh yeah, Go Dodgers!

Contacting The Militant Angeleno

Do you have a question for the Militant Angeleno (sorry, all questions regarding his identity will be ignored)? Would you like to send hate mail (or love mail, even)? Do you want to know how you can join the Angeleno Militia? Here's how!